No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Squares is a great dessert for this time of year! The tart lemon no-bake cheesecake filling sitting atop a traditional graham cracker crust will have your mouth singing and will keep your kitchen cool!

There is just something about no-bake desserts this time of year that really gets me excited! This no bake cheesecake is no exception! The fact that I can make these lemon cream cheese bars without ever turning on my oven is such a plus when the temperatures soar.

Although you may find similar no bake cheesecake recipes that call for baking the crust. There is no need to pre-bake the crust in this dessert recipe. 

The unbaked crust will be less crispy and a little looser than it would be if you choose to bake the crust for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven, but as long as the squares stay chilled, it will hold together.  

Make sure you press down firmly when forming the crust though!  I have to admit, I do prefer to bake the crust for a bit so it's a little crispier, but it's your choice whether you do or not.  

I buy my graham cracker crumbs already packaged, because I can never seem to keep the crackers themselves fresh once they are opened.  

You can make your own graham cracker crumbs by crushing whole crackers either in the food processor or by hand.  Three full cracker sheets yields approximately 1/2 cup of crumbs. 

Let's talk lemon cream cheese bars for a minute.

As far as I am concerned, there really is no better flavor for cheesecake than lemon.  

Lemon and cream cheese are natural partners in the world of flavor combos. Of course, you can get creative and use any flavor Jello® for the filling that you like, but I'm loving on this lemon flavor right now! 

This no-bake cheesecake is not dense like a baked cheesecake, but more fluffy in texture, thanks to the Jello®.  My family adored this delicious dessert and I think yours will too!  They are prefect with a little dollop of whipped topping and a wedge of lemon, making them as beautiful as they are delicious! 

No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Squares

By Renee P.

Easy no-bake "cheesecake" squares flavored with tart lemon.

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I buy them packaged as crumbs ) 
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 6 TBSP. unsalted butter, melted
• pinch of salt
• Filling:
• 2 - .30 oz. packages of sugar free lemon Jello®
• 1 cup boiling water
• 3- 8 oz. packages of reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• Whipped topping and lemon wedges, for garnish, if desired

Instructions

1. Line a 13" x 9" baking pan with foil, allowing foil to hang over 2 sides (for easy removal). Spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, melted butter and pinch of salt.
3. Pour graham mixture into prepared pan and press down FIRMLY to form crust. You can bake this at 350 degrees F for 10 min. to help it stay crisp or you can simply pop it into the fridge making it completely no-bake. The fridge crust will be a little softer and looser. I like to bake it for 10 minutes then let it cool completely before adding the filling.
4. In small bowl or two cup glass measure, combine the jello® and the water and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature before proceeding.
5. In large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until creamy.
6. Pour in the Jello® mixture and the whipping cream and beat until completely combined. Mixture will seem very runny at first, but keep beating until it comes together and begins to thicken.
7. Pour cheesecake mixture over prepared crust and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set up.
8. Remove cheesecake from pan with overhanging foil, and cut into squares. Garnish as desired. Store in refrigerator. 

Yield: 16 servings

Prep Time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.
Total time: 30 mins.
Tags: cheesecake, bars, dessert, no-bake, lemon, cream cheese, treat

NOTE:  This recipe can be halved and made in a 8" square pan with good results!  If you halve the recipe, for the crust, use 1 cup graham cracker crumbs,  2 TBS granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup melted butter.  Halving the recipe will yield 9 servings.

Adapted from Deliciously Sprinkled 

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You might have noticed I've been posting a lot of quick and easy recipes these days.  Can I just tell you?  My life has been SUPER CRAZY this summer!  I mean summer is usually very busy around here anyway, but this year has been exceptionally busy!  My daughter has made yet another move, this time to Southwest Florida, so I've helped with that.  My youngest graduated from High School and my middle son is on track to graduate college this December. We've vacationed, thrown a grad party and I've moved my middle son out of his current apartment at school and will help him move into his new one in a few weeks.   I have also been busy shopping for my youngest son for college and will help him move in to his dorm this month!  It's a crazy, busy time for me, so if you notice that posts are a little sparse, that is why.  I do want to thank everyone who drops by the blog for a recipe or two though!  All of you readers are the BEST!!  

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